Maronan Cattle Station, near Cloncurry

We went, we woofed we sampled Aussie life outback station style. Big thanks to the ever-informative Nevenka, her husband Colin, who runs the station, the kids Rose and Kasie, Governess Juile, and Oldfella George, who also taught us much. It was a brilliant experience, and the place where the Outback came alive for us.

Thanks to Megan and Denzil and all the kids who collected donations for Book Aid and helped sell the Showbags Nevenka donated to us for the Cloncurry Races. We raised over $500 that day.


Thank you to Cloncurryshire Council worker Jo Green, who donated the money for twenty minutes of internet time for us at the local library.

Meeh-Meeh to the Debbie Lawler and the kind people at the Roadrunner Roadhouse, MIllwraith St, Cloncurry, who donated £10 fuel to us.

Berkley Highway West

To Pat and Spiro Borg at the Caltex Servo, in Hughenden, who filled our tank for us

Jane Holden fed us tea and sandwiches at the Holden Café in Hughenden.

Thanks to everyone at Richmond Caravan Park who put us up.

Hello and thank you to Bob at the Mud Hut in Richmond for the feed.

Thanks to Mike for the beers you bought us at the Mud Hut.

Thank You Linda for the list of free campsites in Central Queensland

Townsville

The incomparable John McDonald, promotions manager at the Walters Group IGA store there, soothed us with his lemon-squeezy dulcet laidbackedness and enthusiasm for anything beyond the nine dots. He arranged work for us at Camp Quality, a kids camp for cancer sufferers, one of the many local charities he and the store he works for are affiliated with, where we gardened for the day, where we earned some fuel and food from the goodly John and the kindly IGA.

Pleasure meeting with Mark and Nikki at Camp Quality, who do good work, for some beautiful children.

Thank You to Darren, Janine, and Ethan Staunton in Kirwan, for a place to hang our heads for the night. Darren makes an incredible curry. Cheers for the shampoo and cd’s too.

Bonza to Darren, Jon and Sharon at the Network Communications store, in Castletown Shopping World, for the $30 of Optus phone credit.

Bonza too to Lauren, Elouise and Gemma at the Vodafone store in Castletown Shopping World for $20 Vodafone phone credit.

Cheers Den at Den’s Internet, 265 Flinders St, who donated 20 minutes free to us., and invaluable wisdom into the bargain. Mention also to his lovely sister Anna, who helped us out with some names for work further along the track.

Thanks to Very Tall Andrew at the Townsville Bulletin who ran a story on us. He was over tall you know. What’s the weather like up there, we quipped.

To Michelle and Christine at Reef HQ, that underwater aquatic extravaganza, for donating a trip round for us. Made us crave fish N chips.

To all the staff at Mobil Calcium, Charters Towers, who donated a jerry cans worth of fuel to us for the trip out back.

Too easy mate. We rested our perspiring behinds and lay our sweat-beaded brows at Pentland Caravan Park, our first taster of the Outback. It’s big, we agreed.

To Nick and Wendy, at Julia Creek Roadhouse, who donated $10 fuel to us.

Cairns

Beeeautiful. Captain Kerry, a friend of Carol Curtis, the lovely lady from Heaven in the Hills, Maleny, took it upon himself to offer his commanding skippering services to us upon on his yacht, The Paladin. We saluted in honour and went there giddy as spring lambs. G’day too to Deb and little Billie Jean who sailed to Fitzroy Island with us. Deb gave us work for the next day, weeding, and donated money to Book Aid. On’yers.

Thank you to Kerry’s missus, Anna and his lovely daughter, Sarah.

Thanks to the Cairns Post people for running a story on us and making us look good

Walkamin and Yungaburra

Woofing at Erwin van den Muyzenberg’s Cactus and Succulent Nursery in Walkamin. It was a pleasure to live and work with such a man. Thanks for the sizable donation to Book Aid too.
Thank you Jenny, who organised for us to set up our stall at the Yungaburra Folk Festival Market and to all who donated to us helping us raise much for Book Aid.
Hello again: to Lindell Vaudrey and husband Bill from Magnetic Island, who also had a stall at the festival, and donated flip flops and a box of belts.
Thank you thank you, to Braja, Devaka, Param, Vijay and Brendan the Hare Krishna Pure Vegetarian mob who fed us some wonderful tucker right when we were on the verge of collapsing.
Thanks to Sri, Mal and their daughters at Sri’s Tasty Thai for the delicious grub at the festival.
Nice one matey – Charlotte, Paulie, Ted, and Fella, who entertained us during the hot, rigid hours standing there.
Our media careers burgeon - The Atherton Tablelander cover our story.

Tully and Deeral

Honore galore to the munificent lot at Trinity Petroleum Mobil in Tully for the $10 fuel donation.

Good on yeros Con Marneros at Pacific Fasteners in Tully for the tenners worth of fuel.
Hats off to Tony and Jeanne Vicars of Tully Industrial and Hardware for $5 donation

Doffed caps to Sam and Chris Pappalardo of Star Sports and Toy Store, Tully for their donation

Rick and Yvette Terkelsen, fuelled us up, on the basis we buggered off for a few days, so that we could come back, to work a week on Ricks boat. He’s a handsome man.

Kelly Higgins Devine of ABC calls and says hello ‘LIVE ON AIR’. We blush, shyly, and giddily become her pets.

Upperstone, Ingham

Much obliged to Gina and Duane of Rollingstone BP, Ingham who without any ado donated $20 fuel to get us to Upperstone.

Thank you for the memories: Narelle, Kevin, Hamish (McTootle), (Mad, Bad and Inyerface) Baxter, Willow and Little Baby Hugh.